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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27208855">in which the casino infiltration goes a bit differently</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squiped_Mew/pseuds/Squiped_Mew'>Squiped_Mew</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>In Which Things Are A Little Different [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal, Persona Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Akechi Goro Has A Palace, Akechi Goro Redemption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Black Mask Haru, Chatting &amp; Messaging, Detective Akechi Goro, Fake Dating, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gen, HAD, Haru being Haru, Heist, Hijinks &amp; Shenanigans, Hurt/Comfort, Kurusu Akira is a little shit, M/M, Manipulation, Pre-Heist, Scheming, i feel like i have to tag this everytime lmao, its not really a slash fic but im gonna tag it anyways, kinda??</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:26:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,582</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27208855</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squiped_Mew/pseuds/Squiped_Mew</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Hey.” And Akechi blinks, and sees Akira staring at him, his thin eyebrow arched. “Want to walk home with me?”</p><p> </p><p>It’s a direct callback to that night after the batting cages. Saying yes still feels like swallowing coconut oil, but for a completely different reason. Or maybe it was the same but he just misidentified himself. Oh well, he was emotionally inept. Sue him. </p><p> </p><p>(OR: Akechi and Haru plot to stop Akira's murder, and the infiltration goes south.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akechi Goro &amp; Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro &amp; Okumura Haru, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>In Which Things Are A Little Different [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1905544</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>191</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. reverse engineering a murder isn't as easy as it seems jackass</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>haru: man akechi youre so smart, how do you do it?</p><p>akechi, whos bullshitted his entire career up into his point: uhhh</p><p>I write + draw more about this on my tumblr: https://squipedmew.tumblr.com/</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Fun fact about neon lights: they gave Akechi a RAGING HEADACHE.</p><p> </p><p> Not like yelling at Sae’s casino was going to make her turn off those infernal things, but a guy could try anyways. “Quit whining.” Ann shot at him after he groaned for what must have been the millionth time. “Next time, just bring some tylenol with you or something.”</p><p> </p><p>“That crap stopped working on me after eighth grade.” Akechi grumbles.</p><p> </p><p>“Jesus, that bad?”</p><p> </p><p>“Panther, Crow. Knock it off.” Makoto, or Queen (stupid name, she didn’t even have a queen aesthetic to her outfit) hisses, as the group rounds a corner. Right now, they were on the second floor, and mowing through the opposing shadows with relative ease. Crow had officially joined the team three days ago, with the codename being more of a placeholder one for now (Akechi had wanted to go with Karasu, but everyone else had shut him down.) Since then, they had been making steady progress, and he would have been at ease, if not for one thing.</p><p> </p><p>Haru Okumura, or Noir, as she was known in the Metaverse, lags behind the group, absentmindedly twirling her axe in her hand. Crow swallows, bile rising in the back of his throat. Ever since they had met up in the jazz club, and she had revealed that she was the one behind her father’s murder, he had been on edge - and for good reason. While she was (dubiously) forced into doing so, as well as the fact that they may be on the same side - trying to find a way to foil Shido’s attempt on Joker’s life, he still has the lingering feeling that Noir could, and happily would, slice him open at any given moment. Nevertheless, she is his one and only confidant in his plot to fake Joker’s murder, so he figures he should at least try to play nice. </p><p> </p><p>Speaking of the cocky bastard himself, Joker leads the group down the hall, nimble and lithe on his feet. In battle, Crow can’t help but notice his theatrics in spite of himself, showy flourishes in every attack he does, twirling his knife between his fingers.</p><p> </p><p><em> He’s quite good with his hands. </em> The traitorous part of his brain supplies.</p><p> </p><p><em> Shut it. </em>He thinks to himself.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> And flexible.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I said shut it. </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>“Hey guys,” Skull, or Ryuji, as he insists that Crow doesn’t use last names outside the Metaverse, points down the hall. “Check it out. There’s a safe room.”<br/><br/></p><p>“Thank goodness.” Yusuke, or Fox, sighs. “I must confess, my feet are getting quite sore.”</p><p> </p><p>“Stop talking about your feet Inari,” Oracle, or Futaba (Sakura, the last name Sakura, why does it sound so familiar to him?) “Get in there guys. I think a big shadow is coming up, and I don’t think we’re equipped to handle it.”</p><p> </p><p>“On it.” They slink in, one by one, Morgana closing the door behind them. Instantly, they all deflate, sitting or slumping down onto whatever furniture they can find. Skull all but collapses on the plush red velvet couch in the corner, and it’s all Crow can do to not do the same.</p><p> </p><p>“I take it we’re ready to end for today?” Joker asks. </p><p> </p><p>“No freakin kidding dude, my feet are killing me, and I’m wearing walking boots. Can’t imagine how you and the girls feel.” Skull groaned.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, to be fair, Joker does have the highest heels.” Oracle responds, pulling her face off the table.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t be absurd.” Crow snarks, and everyone turns to face him. “...It’s obviously Panther.”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe the same height?” Panther remarks, before shaking her head. “Wait. Why are we arguing about this. Let’s just go home so I can sleep for two million hours.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ditto, dude!” Skull exclaims, giving Panther a weak high-five. Both Queen and Crow roll their eyes. </p><p>
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</p><hr/><p>
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</p><p>Back in the real world, Haru catches Akechi’s eyes and nods twice - the signal that they were meeting up at Sae’s Palace tonight, since, according to Haru, ‘talking over text was too risky.’ which was dumb, but whatever. Again, not going to complain to a murderer. </p><p>
  <br/>
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</p><p>“Hey.” And he blinks, and sees Akira staring at him, his thin eyebrow arched. “Want to walk home with me?”</p><p> </p><p>It’s a direct callback to that night after the batting cages. Saying yes still feels like swallowing coconut oil, but for a completely different reason. Or maybe it was the same but he just misidentified himself. Oh well, he was emotionally inept. Sue him. </p><p>
  <br/>
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</p><p>“How’s life?” Akira finally asks, awkwardly looking away. </p><p> </p><p>“Fine.” Akechi responds curtly, hands cold in the cool night air. </p><p> </p><p>“What do you think of the Metaverse?”</p><p> </p><p>“...Stupid.”</p><p> </p><p>“C'mon man, you’re not really giving me much to work with here.” Akira pouts. Akechi rolls his eyes. </p><p> </p><p>“You expect me to wax poetry about another world for like, twenty minutes or something?”</p><p> </p><p>“I mean, that seems pretty in line with your character, yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, har har.” And Akira actually does laugh at that, less the Joker snort and more the Akira giggle. It’s a nice sound.</p><p> </p><p>Akechi mentally thwacks himself on the head and keeps going. </p><p> </p><p>“So anyways, besides that, how are you doing?”</p><p> </p><p>“...Pardon?”</p><p> </p><p>“You know. Personal life and stuff?”</p><p> </p><p>Bad? Stressful? A flaming dumpster fire only alleviated by the fact that the fire smells like a scented candle?</p><p> </p><p>“...Fine.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s a lie.”</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s just say being a detective isn't as glamorous as all those TV shows make them out to be.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why do interviews then?”</p><p> </p><p>“Because,” Akechi sighs, scratching the back of his neck, “It’s good for PR, or whatever. Makes SIU look good if they’re willing to hire some lowlife kid from the hicks.”</p><p> </p><p>“The hicks, huh?” And Akechi instantly knows he’s overshared. “You a country kid?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, now shut up.” Akira chuckles, and they lapse into only mildly awkward silence, which is a significant improvement from the super awkward silences of before.</p><p> </p><p>When Akechi gets back to his apartment, his first instinct is to flop onto the couch and groan, as usual. But, surprisingly, he doesn't. Today had been a good day, he decides, even if he’s tired beyond belief. </p><p> </p><p>But then he looks at the clock, and realizes that the day isn’t over yet.</p><p>
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</p><hr/><p>
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</p><p>Slipping into Sae’s palace was surprisingly easy, at this time of night. Haru always went in thirty minutes earlier than him, just so no one got suspicious. </p><p> </p><p>Stepping into the empty courtyard, Akechi takes out his phone, the brightness blinding him in the dim night sky. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>(He’s so busy entering the keywords, he doesn’t see a familiar cat leering at him in the bushes.)</p><p>
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</p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Hello!” Haru’s outfit has changed again. Instead of what she wears with the group, she’s changed into a ball gown, albeit only the back half so her legs can still freely move. On her head is a hat with a black veil, so no one could really parse out what she looked like from far away. It’s a far cry from her fun outfit when she was with the Thieves. This one felt more like something a woman who murdered her husband for life insurance would wear. </p><p> </p><p>Akechi doesn’t respond, only nodding his head slightly in agreement. When he catches up to her, she gestures to one of the iron benches that’s stationed outside of the casino, and they sit. </p><p> </p><p>The past three times that they had done this, Haru and he had met inside, scouring the area to get a good sense of the layout. But now that they had a good sense of what the place was like, they could really get to work. </p><p>
  
</p><p>“Tah-dah.” Akechi says sarcastically, unrolling the makeshift blueprint he had sketched out over the past few trips to the casino, both with the Thieves, and with just Haru. In reality, it was just a bunch of papers taped together. Not his best work, but enough to impress Haru, who ogled over it. </p><p> </p><p>“You’ve done this much in just three trips?” Haru asks, scanning the sheets of paper. “That’s very impressive! Although -” She points to a few squares of the map, which are lined, unlike the rest of the blank papers. “Why are these lined?”</p><p> </p><p>“It really isn’t that impressive.” Akechi responds, rolling his eyes. “But to answer your other question, I ran out of paper and I had to ask Makoto.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course Makoto would have paper on her. She’s so thoughtful.” Haru giggles, and Akechi once again has to seriously question if this is the same girl who killed her own father. “So you worked on it during the infiltration trips as well?”</p><p> </p><p>“You didn’t see me sketching them in the back?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I assumed you were just doodling. You struck me as the artsy type.”</p><p> </p><p>“I - you know what, whatever. I’m gonna assume it’s the messy ponytail.” When Haru nodded, Akechi rolls his eyes again. “Point is, while it’s not the best layout, it should be enough to start planning for outcomes.”</p><p> </p><p>“Got it.”</p><p>
  <br/>
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</p><p>There was a brief moment of silence.</p><p>
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</p><p>“...So..” Haru mumbles. “Do you… have anything?”</p><p> </p><p>“...I had assumed you had an idea?”</p><p> </p><p>“Nope.”</p><p>
  <br/>
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</p><p>Another pause, one in which Akechi really digested the absurdity of what his life had become. </p><p>
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</p><p>“...What are we doing.” He mumbles, head in his hands. </p><p> </p><p>“Trying to stop a murder, remember?” Haru responds, putting a hand on his shoulder. “<em> Please </em> don’t tap out yet, we’ve only just started.”</p><p> </p><p>“How the HELL am I supposed to stop THIS?!” Akechi gestures to the giant casino in front of them, the panic and stress from the past week leaking into his voice. “I, for one, have NO IDEA what I’m doing, and I’m starting to wonder why the hell you’d pick me for this.”</p><p> </p><p>“Because you’re smart.”</p><p> </p><p>“Not about this kind of thing!” Akechi exclaims. “I SOLVE murders, not CAUSE them! Or, at least,” He adds, more quietly, “Pretend to cause them.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, why don’t you just apply the logic that you use to solve them in reverse?” Haru suggests. </p><p> </p><p>“It doesn’t work that way.” Akechi sighs, sitting back down. His mind flits to Akira, against his will. This wasn’t just about justice anymore. There were actual lives on the line, people who had people to come back to, and Haru was entrusting this to him?! </p><p> </p><p>All he did was ruin lives, not save them. Why was this any different?</p><p>
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</p><p>“Well,” Haru says in a forced light tone, “Why don’t we just focus on potential escape routes for now? If we need to enact a plan, we do need to know which way Akira will go.” She points to the giant stained-glass window looming above them, and Akechi’s eyes follow. “My bet would be that way, if he’s trying to avoid capture.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s the most obvious way one could get caught.” Akechi retorts. </p><p> </p><p>“True - but he’s not gonna know that the people chasing him aren’t shadows. To him, all he has to do is get out of the palace and he gets off scot free. And if the shadows can’t chase him out of the palace, then he’s as good as gold.”</p><p> </p><p>Akechi scoffs at that. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m being serious here.” Haru remarks sharply. “We need to plan out every step, or it’s not going to work.”</p><p> </p><p>Akechi inhales, standing. “...Yes.” He says. “Yes, you’re right. We need a plan.” </p><p> </p><p>He starts to pace back and forth, red eyes darting in every direction. “Okay.” He starts, more to himself than anyone else. “If capture is inevitable, and we need it to look like he died in custody, then the most logical answer would be to fake his death in some way and let Akira in onto the plan.”</p><p> </p><p>“But he can’t know, or he’ll get targeted.” Haru pipes up.</p><p> </p><p>“Exactly.” Akechi interjects, envisioning every word he or Haru says as another red line on one of his conspiracy boards. “So if that’s out of the question, the next possible step would be to take a fake picture of his dead body ahead of time.”</p><p> </p><p>“But we don’t know what the interrogation room might look like, or the minute details of his face, like bruises or such.” Haru interjets again. </p><p> </p><p>“Yes. So if that’s out of the question, what does that leave us with?” He asks, more himself than Haru.</p><p> </p><p>“...Shoot him nonlethally, snap a picture, and call it a day?” Haru asks. </p><p> </p><p>“<b>Absolutely not</b>.” Akechi sharply replies. </p><p> </p><p>“What?” Haru retorts, puffing out her cheeks. “I was under the impression that you don’t like him very much.” </p><p> </p><p>“I mean -”<em> I have no idea how I feel but let’s not get into that debacle. </em> “I’m a detective. I have morals.” Akechi replies. “Unlike some people here.” He mutters under his breath.</p><p> </p><p>“What was that?” Haru asks sweetly, which is somehow ten times more intimidating then if she were yelling at him.</p><p> </p><p>“N-Nothing.” He stammers, quickly resuming his frantic mumbling. “Anyways, even if we did, he’d have to be taken to a hospital afterwards, and then the ploy would fall away pretty quickly.”</p><p> </p><p>“I could try and find a doctor who would work confidentiality-”</p><p> </p><p>“We’re NOT shooting him, and that’s finally, okay?!” Haru looks taken aback, but shuts her mouth. “...Moving on, what does that leave us with?”</p><p> </p><p>“Not much.” Haru responds, which earns her a glare. </p><p> </p><p>“No, there has to be something. No matter the scenario, there’s always a loophole.” No matter the crime, Akechi always found a workaround. Greed, lust, and pride were all maleblue to his prying.</p><p>
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</p><p><em> But death answers for no one </em>, his brain helpfully supplies. </p><p> </p><p><em> Stop waxing poetry and help me fucking come up with something </em>, the other half of his brain retorts. </p><p>
  <br/>
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</p><p>God, Akechi was starting to see why he had formed a palace. </p><p>
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</p><p>Wait - hold on.</p><p>
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</p><p>“My palace.” Akechi breathes. </p><p> </p><p>“What does that have to do with anything?” Haru asks. </p><p> </p><p>“No, you don’t understand.” Akechi replies, pacing back and forth. “My palace - it had cognitive forms of people I knew, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“...I do recall that, yes.” Haru replies, tilting her head quizzically. </p><p> </p><p>“There was a cognitive form of Akira there, right?” </p><p> </p><p>“Yes. So why…” Haru trails off, starting to see what Akechi is getting at. “Ooooh. OOOOOHH!”</p><p> </p><p>“And WHO exactly is a prosecutor who ALSO happens to have a palace?” Akechi realizes, everything dawning on him at once. </p><p> </p><p>Haru and him both look at each other.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you thinking what I am thinking?” Haru asks. </p><p> </p><p>“I believe so.” Akechi responds.</p><p>
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</p><p>And at the same time, they both spoke. </p><p> </p><p>Akechi: “We kidnap cognitive Akira,”</p><p> </p><p>And Haru: “We make one in the interrogation room.” </p><p>
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</p><p>They both stare at each other.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, so apparently we’re not on the same page.” Akechi sighs. </p><p> </p><p>Haru laughs, face flushed, before going back to business mode. “I have a plan.” She says. </p><p> </p><p>“What is it?” </p><p>
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</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Discord: https://discord.gg/7fGKDJ2</p><p>youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1PtaW8dTzCzlDfb76VRU9Q</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. did you really think the fake dating tag was going to be for akeshu</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The next night, Akechi can’t help but get the sinking suspicion that someone was following him as he walked to the train station, hairs on the back of his neck standing straight up. He scans the crowd on the train now, heads and faces all blurring together. No one he recognizes - but maybe that was the point. Maybe this Shido had caught onto him - maybe he had sent someone after him to try and assassinate him while his guard was down! Maybe this was -</p><p>“OW!” A girl in a hoodie, who was trying to maneuver through the crowd, falls to the floor, right next to Akechi. </p><p>Their eyes meet.</p><p> </p><p>Oh, it was just Futaba.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>everyones chat names: </p><p>akira: we live in a society<br/>ryuji: whatsbonkin<br/>ann: Nya;)<br/>yusuke: whatdoesthefoxsay (courtesy of futaba)<br/>makoto: mako<br/>futaba: footrollupz<br/>haru: floofy<br/>NOT PICTURED - akechi: feral rat boy (also courtesy of futaba) </p><p> </p><p>I write + draw more about this on my tumblr: https://squipedmew.tumblr.com/</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The next week was a blur. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The infiltration with the Thieves went fairly smoothly, at first. Sae’s palace was a casino that ran purely on games rather than pure skill, so, being the smart asshole that he was, Joker had managed to outplay, outpace, and outhink any unfair challenge that had been thrown his way by Sae. You’d think he’d have been at the palace before, with the familiar ease in which he conned the slot machines and played the players trying to play him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Man, you’re so smart.” Skull had said after Joker had rigged a slot machine to give them the amount of tokens they needed to proceed to the highest floor. Akira had just simply shrugged at that, looking almost wistful. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah. I just tried to think backwards. Crow helped me figure a lot of this stuff out.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone had turned to Crow at that, who gave the teen in question a weird look. As far as Crow knew, Joker had never discussed the traps once with him, much less asked him for advice. When asked about it later, Akira had laughed and simply said: “I just tried to think like you did.” Akechi had to turn away at that, because he was sure his face was a very unflattering shade of red. </span>
</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>
  <span>The nights, however, were the most chaotic part. </span>
</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>
  <span>Every night now, for the past week, Akechi had been meeting up with Haru secretly inside the palace, and together, they had mapped out a plan of attack. The plan was, for the most part, to hand over the real treasure to Haru, who would then swap it out for a fake one, that way, Sae’s palace would stay intact, and they could use her distortion for the next phase of their plan: Akira’s capture. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Phase two started after Akira had been captured, where he would most likely be interrogated by Sae. Akechi checked that morning at the SIU to confirm that yes, Sae was still the chief prosecutor of this case, and would most likely be speaking to him at some point. The next part was the tricky part, however.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Phase three was the hardest part. See, they had to take a tiny sliver of the Metaverse out into the real world, the sliver that was Akira, in order for him to appear in the interrogation room. In order to do that, Akechi had realized that they would have to show Sae the app on his phone, if only for a second. If the app was open and everything was set up correctly, it should bring Sae’s version of Akira to life. When that happened, Akechi would have to smuggle out the real one, while Haru would go confront the fake Akira and… finish the job. Afterwards, she would send a photo to Shido, who would match it with security records and find that it was, in fact, the real deal. Akira would lay low until Shido was dealt with, and then they could all forget that this ever happened.</span>
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</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So no pressure. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’ll be fine.” Noir had tried to assure him. “Most of the moving parts of this plan will just all come down to good execution, and I’m pretty sure we can do that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But now, looking at the Metanav and trying to figure out exactly how this would operate, Crow isn’t so sure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bringing a chunk of the Metaverse up to the real world was… tricky. You could very easily suck yourself into that spot, instead of bringing it to you, and while that would make for a handy escape if things went south, it wouldn’t really fool Shido in any significant way. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, he tried. Specific triggers, codewords, whatever he could think of. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here.” Noir hands him a thermos, and  Crow blinks, taking his eyes off of his notebook and phone. The thermos is hot, and if it weren’t for his grey gloves, Crow definitely would have gotten burned. “Joker gave me some of his coffee earlier today, so I reheated it. I figured you could use some.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Crow gives the thermos a wary glance, then looks back at Noir. “It’s not poisoned, is it?” He asks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so by now.” Noir responds smoothly, taking out another thermos and pouring it’s contents - tea - into a cup she pulled out of her satchel. “Not to mention, you are at Leblanc a lot. I figured you really liked the coffee.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...It is good.” Crow admits, taking a sip. Not too bitter, not too sweet. Just how he liked it. “I’ll say ten minutes and then we can get back to working.” He remarks, setting his notebook down so as to not spill any coffee on it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a plan.” Noir replies, and the two of them sit on the iron bench outside of the casino that they had dubbed their rendezvous point, in awkward silence.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Noir is the first one to speak up. “I wonder why it’s always night here.” She says, looking around at the tacky neon lights, shining brightly in the dark. “Do you think it’s an aesthetic thing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps.”  Crow responds, taking another sip of his coffee. “Or maybe it's like this because the illicit deeds that she does are always done in the proverbial dark, so to speak. No one knows what she gets up to when she gets on a case, so the palace reflects that, perhaps?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...I don’t know if it’s that complicated.” Noir awkwardly laughs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fair.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They lapse back into silence. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Noir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Noir looks up at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why are you doing this.” Crow asks finally, setting his thermos down. “Trying to stop Akira’s murder.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Noir looks away, eyes wistful under her mask. “...Akira was the first friend I ever had.” She finally admits. “I was so swept up in my grand revenge plan that I never even tried to branch out, and before that my father didn’t allow me to make friends. But then Akira comes along, and I suddenly remember that the world isn't this cold and uncaring place, you know?” Noir shifted so she was looking Crow right in the eye. “There are so many good people in Tokyo alone, much less the entire world. And it’s… it’s unfair of me to trample all over their lives because my life was less than favorable.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But then why did you go after your father? Didn’t you want revenge?” Crow asks quizzically.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I did.” Noir responds. “But… I find you don’t feel any better afterwards.” She finishes, taking a sip of her tea. “I don’t regret what happened to my father, as cruel as that sounds. But when I was done, and I left his palace?” She looks up, eyes fixed on a point that Crow can’t see. “I didn’t feel happy, or victorious. I just felt… numb.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She turns back to him. “I don’t think things between me and my father would have ever been anything other than strained at best.” She states, steel in her tone. “But the more I reflect on it, the more I realize that my brand of justice was nothing more than misguided anger.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Misguided anger.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, Crow could relate to that. Too much. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Him and Noir were similar. Similar enough, that it made him uncomfortable at times. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He often wondered what he would have done, if he had been in her shoes. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Nothing good, </span>
  </em>
  <span>his brain supplies. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“...We should get back to work.” Crow finally mutters, taking out his notebook. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Agreed.” Noir replies, standing up. “I’ll go scout out the parameter one last time, just to be safe.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Noir walked away, Crow got the feeling she felt a bit embarrassed about oversharing. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Surprisingly, he didn’t mind at all.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>The Phantom Menaces 2: Electric Boogaloo (EVERYONE GET IN HERE NOW)</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>7:32PM 10/31</b>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Whatsbonkin</b>
  <span>: ???</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Mako:</b>
  <span> Why did we make a new chat?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz:</b>
  <span> okay guys mona just told me some stuff and I figured I should share it</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Whatdoesthefoxsay:</b>
  <span> Ah. Is this about his chronic hairball problem again?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz:</b>
  <span> no its not </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Whatdoesthefoxsay: </b>
  <span>Hm. I’m surprised you didnt try and make a joke at my expense.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Nya;): </b>
  <span>that means this is serious</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Floofy: </b>
  <span>Wait, why isn’t Akechi in here?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz: </b>
  <span>actually thats what im here to talk about </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz:</b>
  <span> A couple nights ago mona saw akechi sneaking into sae’s palace on his own</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Whatsbonkin:</b>
  <span> ??? why???</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Whatdoesthefoxsay</b>
  <span>: Perhaps he’s just trying to get a head start on the infiltration?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>We live in a society: </b>
  <span>i made a rule that we can’t go in alone</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz:</b>
  <span> exactly</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Mako:</b>
  <span> Well maybe it was just a 1 time thing?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz:</b>
  <span> no mona says its happened every night this week</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Floofy: </b>
  <span>Oh dear!</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>We live in a society: </b>
  <span>man i give you morgana for one day and suddenly he’s found out top secret information</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Whatdoesthefoxsay: </b>
  <span>That is concerning.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz:</b>
  <span> no shit</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz:</b>
  <span> look guys i know akechis technically with us but i think he’s planning something</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz: </b>
  <span>like maybe gathering evidence to turn us in or smth</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz: </b>
  <span>i dont think we can trust him now</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Nya;): </b>
  <span>he is with the police</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Floofy: </b>
  <span>I feel like we’re jumping to conclusions though…</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Mako</b>
  <span>: There’s enough evidence to do so. And besides, he hasn’t exactly been team PT since day 1.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz:</b>
  <span> i hacked his phone but i didnt find anything incriminating</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz: </b>
  <span>altho i did find that he does run a food blog on the side</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>We live in a society: </b>
  <span>are you serious</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz:</b>
  <span> yeah</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>We live in a society: </b>
  <span>send me the link</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Mako: </b>
  <span>Akira focus.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>We live in a society:</b>
  <span> yes maam</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz: </b>
  <span>point is dont tell him about this chat and what we know</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz:</b>
  <span> aki youre the leader whats your call</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>We live in a society:</b>
  <span> its prolly nothing</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Whatsbonkin:</b>
  <span> ?!?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Nya;):</b>
  <span> akira this is serious</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Nya;):</b>
  <span> if youre wrong about this we’ll have a warrant out for our arrest</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>We live in a society:</b>
  <span> he wont arrest us. I trust akechi</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Whatsbonkin:</b>
  <span> you better not be jepordizing our identities because youve got a crush on akechi dude</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>We live in a society</b>
  <span>: i trust him to do whats right. And i think he knows turning us in is wrong</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Floofy: </b>
  <span>Well, let’s keep our guards up everyone!</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Nya;): </b>
  <span>notice how he didnt deny the crush part</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The next night, Akechi can’t help but get the sinking suspicion that someone was following him as he walked to the train station, hairs on the back of his neck standing straight up. He scans the crowd on the train now, heads and faces all blurring together. No one he recognizes - but maybe that was the point. Maybe this Shido had caught onto him - maybe he had sent someone after him to try and assassinate him while his guard was down! Maybe this was -</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“OW!” A girl in a hoodie, who was trying to maneuver through the crowd, falls to the floor, right next to Akechi. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their eyes meet.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, it was just Futaba.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Evening.” Akechi says dryly. “Any particular reason you’re following me?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Futaba pales, eyes darting every which way. “Well - I - er -” She swallows, standing up. “I wasn’t following you.” She managed to eke out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akechi arches an eyebrow.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really!” Futaba exclaims, ears going red. “I was just going to uh - to seven-seven-seven! Gotta get myself some of that convenience store ramen, y’know?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seven-seven-seven isn’t on this line.” Akechi flatly states. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Futaba, who is now sweating bullets, purses her lips. “Well, I just figured - you know - I uh - I’m taking the scenic route and all that -”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Futaba, stop.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She stops rambling, looking as if someone had just caught her with her hand in the cookie jar. “I know you’re following me.” Akechi says, exasperation in his voice. “You’re not exactly subtle.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...I try to be.” Futaba mumbles. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akechi sighs, rubbing his temples. “Look - just - whatever you want to ask me, you can just come out and say it. I’m not gonna get mad or anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Really?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do I seem like the kind of person who would?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes. One hundred percent, absolutely.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m choosing to ignore that statement.” The train stops at the station he was supposed to be getting off at, but he makes no motion to move. It’d throw Futaba off of his trail. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Futaba, however, is perceptive, and catches how his eyes flit to the door. “This your stop?” She asks, tone switching to something more serious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She’s onto you. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I - er, yes, this is.” Akechi stands to leave, making his way to the exit. “I’ll be seeing you around -”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I’ll come with. Not like I’m doing anything right now.” Futaba smugly replies, and Akechi wants to strangle her. Now that she had a clue of where he was going, it was going to be impossible to get anything done. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they exit, Akechi briefly considers letting Futaba in on his and Haru’s plans. She is very sharp, and her hacking skills could be of great use. Maybe she could even figure out the technicalities of the Metaverse for them. Then he wouldn’t have to play computer science major anymore. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sooo…” Futaba starts, swinging her arms in a much more confident way than earlier. “What are you doing out here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” Akechi responds with a deadpan tone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>More like Haru would, but that’s beside the point. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Futaba arches a thick eyebrow at his remark. “I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>joking</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Akechi quickly reassures and Futaba nervously laughs, apparently not convinced. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They continue on in awkward silence. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“...You didn’t answer my question.” She prys.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Futaba - look, it’s none of your goddamn business what I get up to, okay?” Akechi snarls, patience wearing thin. Futaba takes a wary step back, looking a bit put-off. “First off, I’m your senior. Your </span>
  <em>
    <span>senpai</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Futaba scrunches up her nose at the honorifics. “Never say that again.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And SECOND,” Akechi starts, ignoring her. “Even if I wasn’t, snooping is rude. I know you’re like, the socially inept one, but that’s basic human decency, and -”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stops when he sees that Futaba has stopped walking, face red. “...I’m not socially inept.” She mumbles under her breath, eyes glassy, and Akechi realizes too late that he may have struck a nerve. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No - I - oh god, I didn’t mean it like that -” For what felt like the thousandth time this week, Akechi backpedals, mentally throttling himself for not shutting up. Now she was going to run back to the rest of the thieves crying, and they’d probably hate him even more. Except Haru, she probably bullies kids for fun. “I just - I’m sorry, okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Futaba blinks rapidly, looking at the ground. “...I didn’t mean to stalk you,” She mumbles, ears red. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I -” Akechi exhales, and reluctantly puts a hand on her shoulder in a vain attempt to comfort Futaba. “It’s okay. I’m not mad. That’s just - you can’t just stalk people, okay?” Futaba looks up at him with her sad brown eyes. “That’s not cool.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Futaba doesn’t respond, but she sniffs, seemingly overcoming her crying fit. “Sorry, I don’t know what that was.” She muttered. “I mean like, I know I was a NEET for a while, you just didn’t have to bring it up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why were you a NEET?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look.” Futaba levels with him. “If you don’t ask about why I was a NEET, I won’t ask you why you’re here. Deal?” She sticks out a hand for a handshake. Akechi reluctantly complies.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(Futaba’s hands are cold and clammy. Gross.)</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>So she follows him as he idly walks by the courthouse, intending to lap it to throw her off, ready to turn around and go to the train station when -</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“There you are!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akechi inwardly cringes. Horrible timing Haru, thanks. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>She dashes up to him, seemingly taking no interest in the mildly disheveled looking Futaba behind him. “You were supposed to be here by seven!” She pouts, crossing her arms. “You’re the one who came up with that rule, at least follow it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Haru?” Haru turns to see Futaba peeking out behind him. “What are you doing out here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh - Futaba-Chan!” Haru exclaims happily, seemingly taking no notice of the fact that their entire operation is in jeopardy with her being here. “What are you doing out here?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well - remember what we talked about?” Futaba mutters loudly, leaning in so as to block out Akechi. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“About what?” Haru asks blankly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know-!” Futaba gestures wildly, as if trying to silently communicate something. “The thing! The thing we talked about in the group chat!”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>(Akechi doesn’t remember anything being talked about in the group chat.)</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ooooooh!” Haru laughs, playfully face-palming. “Silly me, I totally forgot!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Futaba pouts. “Now can you </span>
  <em>
    <span>please </span>
  </em>
  <span>tell me what’s going on?!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Behind Futaba, Akechi frantically gestures a cutting motion across the throat, trying to tell Haru to shut up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Haru, as usual, ignores him. “...Well - I guess the jig is up.” She sighs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wha - What do you mean?!” Akechi bursts out, the two of them swiveling to face him. “You’re just going to give us up, just like that?!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Haru gave him a look. “I mean, Futaba-Chan’s probably figured it out by now.” She replies. “She’s pretty smart.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akechi frantically looks from a smiling Haru, to an utterly baffled Futaba. “I -”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s time we tell everyone, you know? I’m ready.” Haru says, before turning back to Futaba. Akechi internally panics, thinking of any excuse he could use to get out of this, to disprove Haru’s words -</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re dating.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akechi freezes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Futaba blinks. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” She says flatly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dating.” Haru bashfully replies. “Akechi was a bit embarrassed, so we opted not to tell you guys.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akechi’s head swivels back and forth between the two. Seriously?! This was the excuse they were going with? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...When did this happen?” Futaba asks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A few weeks ago, before he joined the team. Remember that time I asked Akira for nice lunch spots?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait... the jazz club...YOU WERE ASKING HIM OUT?!” Futaba exclaims, stamping her foot. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> what that was?!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yup!” And, for extra emphasis, or just to be an ass, Haru kisses a still frozen Akechi on the cheek. “Confessed then and there!” She exclaims happily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akechi unfreezes. “Uh yeah, I - uh -” This was officially the worst day of his life. “I need to sit down.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Futaba turns to look at him. “You’re dating Haru?” She remarks, fixing him with a look. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Yes?” He says, going along with this. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...You like girls?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Obviously?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not </span>
  <em>
    <span>obviously</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Jesus, I thought you and Akira had a thing going on. Thank </span>
  <em>
    <span>god </span>
  </em>
  <span>that’s not the case.” Futaba gags exaggeratedly to make her point. “Well sorry for stalking you guys. Go back to making out in the Metaverse or whatever it is you guys are doing here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re training.” Akechi says, at the same time as Haru says; “We will, thanks!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If looks could kill, Haru would be dead on the spot. The two of them watch as Futaba exits the plaza, with a bit of a mischievous spring in her step. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akechi presses the Metanav button, and they reappear in Sae’s palace.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>A moment of silence. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Sorry.” Haru laughs, rubbing the back of her head shyly. “It was the only thing I could think of.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haru.” Akechi manages to spit out, teeth grinding so hard he could hear it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re lucky I’m terrified of you, otherwise I’d kill you right now.” </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Another pause.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sooooooo...</span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> you like Akira?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay that’s it, you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>dead</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>The Phantom Menaces 2: Electric Boogaloo (EVERYONE GET IN HERE NOW)</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>9:47 PM 11/1</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz</b>
  <span>: false alarm guys</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>We live in a society</b>
  <span>: ??</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Whatsbonkin</b>
  <span>: i thought you were stalking akechi?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz</b>
  <span>: i was</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz</b>
  <span>: and then i found out what he was up to in the metaverse</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz</b>
  <span>: youre not gonna believe this</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Nya;)</b>
  <span>: give us the deets!!!</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>We live in a society</b>
  <span>: i think i already know</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz</b>
  <span>: apparently him and haru are dating now???? </span>
  <span>and they’ve been ‘training’ together at the casino</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>We live in a society:</b>
  <span> i take it back </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Nya;)</b>
  <span>: WAIT WHAT </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Whatsbonkin</b>
  <span>: ARE YOU FOR REAL </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Whatsbonkin</b>
  <span>: </span>
  <em>
    <span>@Floofy</span>
  </em>
  <span> YOU BETTER HAVE A REAL GOOD EFFIN EXPLENATION FOR THIS</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Whatdoesthefoxsay</b>
  <span>: I believe it is spelled; “Explanation” Ryuji.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Whatsbonkin</b>
  <span>: THATS NOT THE EFFIN POINT YUSUKE HOLY SHIT </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Whatsbonkin</b>
  <span>: I HAVE NEVER BEEN CLOSER TO SAYING THE F WORD THAN RIGHT NOW</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Nya;)</b>
  <span>: Yeah im with ryuji on this one!!!!!</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Whatsbonkin</b>
  <span>:</span>
  <em>
    <span> @Floofy @Floofy @Floofy @Floofy @Floofy @Floofy @Floofy @Floofy @Floofy </span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Mako</b>
  <span>: It’s no use. She’s probably busy right now. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Nya;)</b>
  <span>: you could say that again</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz</b>
  <span>: akira youve been pretty quiet</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Footrollupz</b>
  <span>: you good?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Mako</b>
  <span>: akira?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Nya;)</b>
  <span>: he always responds within ten minutes whats going on</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Nya;)</b>
  <span>: oh</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Nya;)</b>
  <span>: oh akira im sorry</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Nya;):</b>
  <span> i know you liked akechi a lot</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>We live in a society</b>
  <span>: no sorry mona was being a bitch</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>We live in a society</b>
  <span>: we still talking about goro’s love life? </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Whatsbonkin</b>
  <span>: ugh goro</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>We live in a society</b>
  <span>: jealous we’re on a first name basis?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Whatsbonkin</b>
  <span>: you literally called me Ryuji from day one bro</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>We live in a society</b>
  <span>: bro</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Whatsbonkin</b>
  <span>: bro</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span><strong>Footrollupz</strong>: akira: oh </span>
  <em>
    <span>goro~</span>
  </em>
  <span>!! *faints dramatically* </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>We live in a society</b>
  <span>: lmao im gonna start doing that just to annoy him</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Mako</b>
  <span>: hey actually akira you mentioned you have a theory about akechi earlier</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <b>Mako:</b>
  <span> what was it?</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<b>The Phantom Menaces 2: Electric Boogaloo (EVERYONE GET IN HERE NOW)</b>
</p><p>
  <b>1:30AM 11/2</b>
</p><p>
  <b>We live in a society</b>
  <span>: nothing important. </span><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>am i a bit biased towards harukechi? maybe. let me have this one chapter and then youll never hear from my rarepair sorry ass again</p><p> </p><p>Discord: https://discord.gg/7fGKDJ2</p><p>youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1PtaW8dTzCzlDfb76VRU9Q</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. akira drank 3 redbulls that morning and he's ready to speedrun sae's boss fight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>What was he doing? Why was he doing this? He was so going to get arrested afterwards, huh? Panic that he hadn’t felt to such a degree in ages surged through his veins, and he tried to bite it down, eyes watering from where he had bitten the inside of his cheek. </p><p>He had to do this. He couldn’t back out now. </p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i have no excuse for why this took five months to come out it just be like that sometimes</p><p>I write + draw more about this on my tumblr: https://squipedmew.tumblr.com/</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s finally time. </p><p> </p><p>Haru and Akechi have devised a scheme, a plan that would (hopefully) work, if everything went as they had planned. Akechi would show Sae his phone, which would make a copy of the police station. After that, Akechi would smuggle Akira out through the Metaverse, and Haru would kill the doppelganger, who Shido would then match up with the records. </p><p> </p><p>A lot of moving pieces. And if Akira made one unpredicted move, they’d be done for. </p><p> </p><p>Yusuke had finished the calling card, Makoto had gotten it to Sae, and now, they all stood outside of the casino, everyone fidgeting from anticipation. </p><p> </p><p>“Alright.” Joker begins, briefly glancing at Crow before continuing. “Is everyone prepared?”</p><p> </p><p>“We’ve trained for this.” Skull says, sounding more like he’s reassuring himself more than anyone else. “It’s not gonna happen again.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve got supplies.” Oracle chimes in. “So we don’t - y’know - die.” </p><p> </p><p>“Got it.” Joker turns back to Crow, who scowls in response. “This can be a bit chaotic, so just try and follow my lead.”</p><p> </p><p>“Please don’t patronize me,” Crow grumbles, pushing past Joker and trying to calm his nerves. </p><p> </p><p>Noir flashes him a thumbs up. It does little to alleviate his anxiety. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><hr/><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>“So,” Shadow Sae starts once they’ve reached the managers floor. “You’ve really come to steal my heart.”</p><p> </p><p>“Come down, and we won’t have to do this by force.” Queen interjects. “Please, Sae. We can talk this out.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I have no intentions of doing this by force.” Shadow Sae laughs. The ground beneath them trembles, and panels start opening up, made of black and white marble. The thieves jump back, Crow swallowing bile. This - this was fine. They just had to beat Sae. “This is a casino after all. So why don’t we settle things by making a wager?”</p><p> </p><p>“Save it.” Joker growls, the amount of conviction in his voice taking the rest of the thieves aback. “We know you’re just gonna cheat again - that’s all you’ve been doing since we got here. I bet the roulette wheel has the slots you don’t want us to land on covered, right? With glass? Or a weighted ball?”</p><p> </p><p>“Joker, you can’t just make accusations like that,” Crow hisses. “You’ve got no proof-”</p><p> </p><p>Joker holds his gloved hand up, and Crow shuts his mouth, gauging Shadow Sae’s reaction.</p><p> </p><p>She sneers. “...You should listen to your friend.” Yellow eyes gleam with barely restrained fury. “You have -”</p><p> </p><p>Joker whips out his pistol, and shoots the black panel all the way across the room, bullet whipping past Shadow Sae’s face. Sure enough, the glass above it shatters, the tinkling sound echoing throughout the empty gambling hall. </p><p> </p><p>The thieves all look at Joker with awe, but Crow is filled with both shock and suspicion. That was such a close guess - how the hell could Joker have known? It wasn’t like he had been here before.</p><p> </p><p><em> Save it, </em> his brain interjects. <em> We’ll worry about that afterwards.  </em></p><p> </p><p>“Either fight us fair and square, or forfeit.” Joker growls. “I don’t have time for this.”</p><p> </p><p>Shadow Sae grimances, fair face contorted into one of agony and pride. “Forfeit?” She snarls like a cornered animal. “FOREIT?!”</p><p> </p><p>With that last cry, her body melts into dark shadows, bones twisting and contorting as she rises. “THIS GAME IS MINE TO WIN!!” She screams, voice deepening and becoming inhumane. “AS LONG AS I HOLD THE HOUSE, <b>I ALWAYS WIN!!</b> ” A new form bursts forth, dripping with black tar. A twisted black knight crawls forth, helmet making her maw look like that of a monster. <b>“YOU IGNORANT BRATS! I’LL KILL EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!!” </b></p><p> </p><p>“Sis…” Queen breathes, and Crow understands. Seeing the worst sides of yourself out in the open, exposing it for everyone to look - it’s hard. And this is someone Queen had looked up to. </p><p> </p><p>So, despite the fact that he isn’t a very emotional guy, he places a hand on her shoulder. </p><p> </p><p>“This is just the worst part of herself.” Crow says as calmly as he can. “This <em> isn’t </em>all she is. We’re going to save her.”</p><p> </p><p>Queen blinks, red eyes hardening as her expression goes from pain to determination. “...Right.” She replies. “Right!”</p><p> </p><p>Joker flashes the group a reassuring smile, before whirling back to face the monster that was Shadow Sae. “Alright,” He says. “Let’s go!”</p><p> </p><p>Skull and Queen attack first, bright yellow and cyan light exploding out of their Personas in tandem. Queen grabs Panther, and begins to drive around Shadow Sae in circles, blasting her from all sides. Meanwhile, Fox hoists Noir up, launching her to the top platform where she can land some solid hits with her grenade launcher. </p><p> </p><p>Joker turns, pointing. “Morgana! Skull!” </p><p> </p><p>“Done!” Morgana launches Skull high into the air with a blast of wind, sending him hurtling right towards Shadow Sae’s face at mach speeds.<br/><br/></p><p>“EAAAAAAT THIS!!” A metal bat slams into her skull, denting the armor and sending shockwaves through the ground. Shadow Sae cries out, half squawk of pain, and half cry of anger. She grabs Skull with one of her meaty claws, throwing him across the room like he’s a ragdoll. </p><p> </p><p>“Oracle!” Oracle needs no prompting, tentacles extending from her Persona and grabbing Skull before he can hit the floor. Joker summons one of his Personas, Angel, and starts firing off Bless skills. “Crow!” He shouts. “Hit it with Kouagon!” </p><p> </p><p>“R-Right!” He had seen the thieves fight together before, when they were plowing through this palace and when he fought with them in his own. But this? The teamwork is unparalleled, everyone working in tandem to take down a single foe, attacks following up anothers without Joker even having to call for it. </p><p> </p><p>It’s… mesmerizing. </p><p> </p><p><b>“YOU-”</b> Shadow Sae howls, <b>“I’LL CRUSH EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU, FAIR AND SQUARE!! JUST AS YOU LIKE!!” </b></p><p> </p><p>“Oh, save it for someone who gives a shit!” Skull shouts back, landing on his feet, and firing off another Ziodyne, swiftly rolling out of the way when Shadow Sae slices her giant sword in his direction. “People have been trying to get justice, and you’re stopping them by rigging their cases and fabricating evidence! You call yourself an attorney? You’re nothing but a crook!!”</p><p> </p><p><b>“SILENCE!”</b> Another slice sends Skull flying into the wall, Morgana scampering over to heal him. <b>“YOU THINK YOU UNDERSTAND? YOU ARE A CHILD!!”</b> Her attention is turned by a blast to the head, the hulking figure turning to look up at Noir, her and Milady firing off rounds from on top the stained glass windowsill. Shadow Sae screeches, shooting a wild round of bullets out of her fingers. Noir squawks, diving for cover, and everyone else follows suit. </p><p> </p><p>“Having a hard time isn’t an excuse to act like a jerk!” Queen snarls, turning sharply on Johanna to avoid the heavy fire, Panther conjuring wisps of flame and shooting it back at the monster. “People are <em> suffering </em>because you wanted to take the easy way out! That isn’t the Sae I know!” </p><p> </p><p><b>“YOU DON’T KNOW ME!!” </b> Sae swats Queen off her bike, Johanna dissolving into tiny particles. Panther screams, being flung down as well, the two of them tumbling down onto the ground together. <b>“YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THE LENGTHS I WENT TO SO I COULD SUCCEED, YOU UNGRATEFUL LEECH!” </b></p><p> </p><p>“Sis…” Queen almost faints then and there, Shadow Sae looming over the pair of girls. She’s saved, however, by a massive wall of ice erupting between the hulking monster and the girls. </p><p> </p><p>Fox helps Panther up, and Queen stumbles up on her own before he can offer. He extends a hand, before Queen swats it away. “This isn’t you.” She shouts, and the ice wall begins to crumble, Shadow Sae clawing at it like a rabid animal. “I know this isn’t you!!”</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>“YOU’RE JUST SOME BRATTY KID-”</b>
</p><p> </p><p>“SHUT THE <b>FUCK </b>UP!!” The ice wall is broken by a massive blast of blue, the nuclear attack Queen had just launched sending everyone flying back. Sae stumbles, crumpling, before clawing herself back up, armor ablaze with wisps of blue flame. Crow stumbles back, Joker catching him by the sleeve, and Morgana completely topples over. </p><p> </p><p>Now’s their chance. </p><p> </p><p>“NOIR!” Crow screams. They had to end this soon or they wouldn’t have the energy to complete their plan. “GET ME UP!” </p><p> </p><p>“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Joker shouts over the rumble of Sae, charging up another attack. </p><p> </p><p>“JUST SHUT UP AND TRUST ME!” Noir grabs Crow’s arm, hoisting him up to the top platform. The wind whips his hair as Queen’s explosion begins to dissipate. He can smell ash and sulfur, and his eyes sting. But he has to keep going.</p><p> </p><p>“NOIR, GET THAT THING TO TURN ON US!” Noir gives him a look as if to say: ‘we will be blasted into a million pieces’, but Crow screams “JUST DO IT!”</p><p> </p><p>Noir nervously turns, summoning Milady and fires on Shadow Sae. </p><p> </p><p>“HEY UGLY!!”</p><p> </p><p>Shadow Sae turns at the combination of Noir’s gunfire and Crow’s taunts. The beam she’s charging turns to them, yellow eyes narrowed. <b>“PICKING FIGHTS NOW, ARE WE DETECTIVE BOY?” </b></p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, actually!” Crow puts as much confidence as he can into his tone. “Considering how much more the SIU likes me more than you!”</p><p> </p><p><b>“WHAT?!”</b> Noir grimances, Sae’s attention now fully on them. </p><p> </p><p>“I mean, it’s not like that’s a hard sell!” Crow continues, hands on his hips. “You’re just some irrelevant old lady who’s only redeeming quality is that she can smile and look pretty!!”</p><p> </p><p><b>“EXCUSE ME?!” </b>Okay, was that called for? Maybe not. But he had to piss Sae off somehow, and if there’s one thing Crow knew about his colleague, it was how to get on her nerves. </p><p> </p><p>Maybe a bit too well, as the beam she’s been charging is at full power, white light dancing in front of his eyes. </p><p> </p><p>“That’s -” Oracles breathes sharply over the intercom. “THAT’S GATLING GUN!” She screams. “CROW, NOIR, MOVE!!” </p><p> </p><p>Noir bails, leaping off the balcony. </p><p> </p><p>Crow does not. </p><p> </p><p>“CROW -” Joker reaches out for him, but it’s too late. The explosion goes off with a loud bang, immeasurable amounts of beams firing his way -</p><p> </p><p>Janus floats behind him, and he screams the words: </p><p> </p><p>“TETRAKARN!” </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>(It had been a good thing Haru and he had actually been training.)</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>The beams bounce right back, and Shadow Sae screams, getting hit with a thousand blows, limbs controting in agony as the bright white light hits her. The rest of the thieves look on in awe, as her armor is blasted open, shattering the iron that encased her. </p><p> </p><p>When the light dies, Sae lies in a heap on the floor, errant limbs twitching. </p><p> </p><p>“Holy shit.” Skull mumbles. </p><p> </p><p>Joker’s the first to recover. “She’s down!” He yells. “Guys, All-Out-Attack, now!”</p><p> </p><p>Everyone nods, the nine of them descending upon her in a flurry of blows and kicks, Crow launching above them all and finishing her off with a resounding slice of his sword. Jumping off, they land on the ground, all of them gasping for breath as the monstrous form of Shadow Sae dissolves into dust behind them. </p><p> </p><p>Panther’s the first one to recover. “Holy-” She breathes, hands on her sides like her ribs were broken. “Holy shit.”</p><p> </p><p>Oracle starts nervously giggling, followed by Skull. The laughter is contagious, and despite how precarious the situation is, Crow can’t help but burst out into hysterics as well, the entire group doubling over on themselves. </p><p> </p><p>“Ohhhh my god,” Joker wheezed, being the first to straighten up. “I can’t believe we just did that!” </p><p> </p><p>“We friggin’ won!!” Skull rejoices, raising his clenched fist in victory. “We did it!” </p><p> </p><p>They group cheers, but dies down once they see Queen, facing away, walking slowly towards her sister. </p><p> </p><p>“...Queen-” Crow reaches out to try and get her to stop, they’re on a time limit after all, but Noir stops him, grabbing his arm and shaking her head. So they watch instead, as Queen kneels down in front of the broken form of Shadow Sae. </p><p> </p><p>“Sis…” Queen breathes, eyes red. “Oh, Sis- I’m so sorry.”  </p><p> </p><p>“...Ma...Makoto?” Shadow Sae mutters, struggling to sit up. “Wha - what are you doing here?” </p><p> </p><p>Makoto looks down, despondent, before closing her eyes and steeling herself, resolved in her gaze. </p><p> </p><p>“Sis, what you’ve been doing is wrong.” Makoto states flatly. “And we came to change your heart, but I know that you’re a good person, okay? I really, really want you to know that.” </p><p> </p><p>“But… I cheated.” Shadow Sae replies, looking away, black eyeshadow running down her face. “I’m not worthy to stand beside you.”</p><p> </p><p>Makoto smiles sadly, placing a gloved hand on her shoulder. </p><p> </p><p>“Yes you are.” She reassures. “You just lost your way. But I know that you’ll find it again. You always do.” </p><p> </p><p>Sae looks down, gaze a million miles away. “Yes…” She mumbled. “I always do, don’t I?”</p><p> </p><p>And with that, her body fades away, black particles dissolving around her. Faintly, Crow can make out a gloved hand reaching towards Makoto’s face, vanishing before it could get there.</p><p> </p><p>The hall is silent, save for the sound of the crowds outside. </p><p>
  <br/>
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</p><p>“...Makoto?” Fox asks. </p><p> </p><p>Queen stands, pulling her mask back over her face. “I’m okay.” She sniffles, wiping at her eyes. “Let’s finish this.” </p><p> </p><p>Crow, having stealthily snuck away during Queen’s heartfelt speech, held up Shadow Sae’s treasure - a small golden notebook. Joker takes it, tucking it away into the folds of his black coat. “Thanks.” He murmurs, quiet enough so that only Crow can hear if, before turning back to the rest of the Thieves. “Alright guys,” He starts. “We should-”</p><p> </p><p>A loud beeping cuts him off. Everyone turns to see Oracle, face pale under her goggles, pulling out her holographic screens, map covered in red dots. “These readings - what’s going on?” She exclaims. </p><p> </p><p>“Are those - enemies?” Queen says, baffled. </p><p> </p><p>“But Sae’s been defeated!” Morgana retorts. </p><p> </p><p>“We’re not out of the palace yet.” Crow interjects, crossing his arms. “We need to get it out of here. Once we do, they’ll go away.” </p><p> </p><p>“There’s no way we’ll be able to make it through all of these guys!” Panther shouts. </p><p> </p><p>“Then we’ll need a distraction.” All eyes turn to Noir, who jabs her thumb near the exit. “Someone needs to play bait. If the rest of us take the treasure out of the premises, then the bait will be fine, right?” Her eyes briefly met Crow’s. They both knew that the notebook wasn’t the real treasure, a fake that Noir had commissioned by one of her many connections, as well as the fact that those enemies were police officers, having been let in earlier by Noir. They had to be fast, and pray Joker would take the bait-</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll go.” </p><p> </p><p>That was easier than expected. </p><p>
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</p><p>“Eh?” Oracle exclaims, turning away from her monitor. “But Joker, it’s too dangerous-”</p><p> </p><p>“Let him go.” Crow replies, rolling his eyes. “Once this idiot’s made up his mind, there’s no getting him out of it.” He turns to look at Joker, who nods. “He’s the strongest here, it only makes sense.”</p><p><br/>“Hey, I’m plenty strong!” Skull interjects. Crow ignores him. </p><p> </p><p>“He’s right.” Noir replies. “It’s our best move.” </p><p> </p><p>All eyes turn to Joker, who shrugs. “Wow, I’m flattered.” He says, placing a hand on his right hip dramatically. “Or do you all want to get rid of me that much?” </p><p> </p><p>“Har har.” Skull places a hand on Joker’s shoulder, staring at him in the face. “We’re counting on you dude.” He says, uncharacteristically somber. </p><p> </p><p>“I know.” Joker’s eyes flit through the group, landing on Crow’s. </p><p> </p><p>Crow, suddenly overcome with a wave of emotion, could only mouth a weak; ‘be safe’.</p><p> </p><p>Joker nods, and he’s off, like a shadow flitting through the wind. </p><p>
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</p><p>When the group starts filing down the dark and twisted corridors, smashing through walls and turning over tables as fast as they can, Crow and Noir slowly start to fall behind. </p><p> </p><p>“Out the back.” Crow hisses. Noir nods, and the two of them split off, turning left while the others turn right. They had to pray that no one would notice.</p><p> </p><p>“Hang left - Joker, there’s a vent near…” Oracle’s words over the intercom slowly fade out as the two of them get further and further away. Eventually, they reach a window, Crow kicking it out and the two of them landing solidly on the ground, the Metaverse warping red, and they’re back behind the courthouse, in their normal clothes. </p><p> </p><p>Akechi looks around the corner, and sure enough, there are a number of police cars parked on the curb, waiting for the rest of them to return from the palace. Akechi swallows. It’s a lot more than he anticipated. </p><p> </p><p>“Get back to Station 3.” Haru hisses. “That’s where they’ll be keeping him. I’ll rendezvous with the rest of the Thieves and meet you back there.” Akechi makes a move to leave, but she stops him, grabbing onto his hand. Her palm under the glove is surprisingly warm. </p><p> </p><p>“...Good luck.” She whispers. </p><p> </p><p>Akechi, stunned by her emotional forefrontness, can only nod. </p><p>
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</p><p>By the time he’s gotten to the station, it’s nearly midnight. He can almost hear the panicked voices of the Thieves in his ears, but he shakes his head to shut those thoughts out. Now’s not the time to get a guilty conscience. </p><p> </p><p>“Goro Akechi, fifth ward.” He shows his badge to the tired looking receptionist, who lets him in without much of a thought. Behind the desk, it’s chaos, officers and detectives alike yelling at each other, at themselves, and over the phone. Akechi ducks under all of them, making his way to the elevator. </p><p> </p><p>“Akechi - hey, Akechi!” Grimacing, he pounds the ‘close door’ button as his boss approaches, bald head glistening with sweat as he ran forward to try and catch him -</p><p>
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</p><p>The door shuts before he can get in, and Akechi exhales. Holding the ID Haru let him borrow, he scans it next to a button, which lights up in response, granting him access to the interrogation rooms. He stands there, awkwardly, trying not to freak out, opting to take out his handkerchief instead, pouring some liquid onto it.</p><p> </p><p>What was he doing? Why was he doing this? He was so going to get arrested afterwards, huh? Panic that he hadn’t felt to such a degree in ages surged through his veins, and he tried to bite it down, eyes watering from where he had bitten the inside of his cheek. </p><p> </p><p>He had to do this. He couldn’t back out now. </p><p> </p><p>Reaching into his pocket, he slid a dime sized metal square into the elevator shaft, watching the light seep into the cracks. Looking away, he tugs on the thin leather gloves Haru had lent him, and prays that the EMP device he had stolen from Futaba would be enough to shut off the camera. </p><p>
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</p><p>The door opens -</p><p> </p><p>“Oh.” And the surprised and weary face of Sae Niijima looks back at him. “Akechi. What are you doing here?” </p><p> </p><p><em> Shit. </em>Akechi breathes, willing himself to remember his lines. “I’ve come to investigate the suspect.” He says, forcing himself to be nonchalant. “We were close acquaintances after all.” </p><p> </p><p>Sae nods, not looking entirely convinced. “Mhm. Well anyways, let me know if anything changes. He’s only got ten minutes left for people to come and visit him.” </p><p> </p><p>“Sae.” Sae stops, turning back. “You recognize this?” He holds up Akira’s phone, shut off, but open on the Metaverse app- </p><p> </p><p>-And just for a second, he can feel the world distort.</p><p> </p><p>“...No.” Sae replies, brow furrowing. “Am I supposed to?”</p><p> </p><p>“Nevermind.” Akechi brushes by her, praying it would be enough, ignoring how her eyes linger on the back of his neck. Okay, good. Sae down. He (hopefully) wouldn’t have to worry about her anymore. </p><p> </p><p>The door to Akira’s interrogation room is smaller than Akechi would have thought. He turns to the guard at the door, showing his badge. “Not to inconvenience you,” He smiles, putting on his best PR voice. “But would you mind accompanying me there? Considering he’s a wanted murderer and all…” </p><p> </p><p>The guard grunts, opening the door. </p><p>
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</p><p>And god, despite everything he had thought about, nothing could have prepared him for how utterly broken Akira looks. Scratch that, actually - he looks half dead. His face is littered with bruises, some already turning purple, and his wrists are chafed with red lines, like he had been struggling in his handcuffs. Akechi wants to reach out and shake him, see if he’s okay, but he keeps his cool, listening as the door slides shut. </p><p>
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  <em> Showtime. </em>
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</p><p>Instantly, he darts behind the guard, locking him in a chokehold and pulling out the handkerchief he had prepared in the elevator, and placing it over the guard’s mouth. He screams, before the chloroform takes effect and his eyes roll up into his head, collapsing on the ground. </p><p> </p><p>Akechi straightens up, staring Akira dead in the face before realizing something. </p><p> </p><p>Akira Kurusu, the great untouchable leader of the Phantom Thieves -</p><p>
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</p><p>-Was whimpering.</p><p>
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</p><p>“No- no no no,” He slurs, eyes wide and unfocused, watching Akechi unlatch the gun from the unconscious guard’s belt. “I did everythin’ right - I thought I did it - I don't’ understand-”</p><p> </p><p>Akechi points the gun at Akira’s head -</p><p>
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</p><p>-And moves it down, shooting the handcuffs chaining his legs to the chair with a muffled ‘pow!’ silencer throbbing. The chains clink to the floor, and Akira looks up, grey eyes wide. </p><p>
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</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“You moron.” Akechi scowls. “I’m here to rescue you.”</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Discord: https://discord.gg/7fGKDJ2</p><p>youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1PtaW8dTzCzlDfb76VRU9Q</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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